Diabetes, and complications that often arise from the disease, increases the risk of developing certain other health problems, including heart and circulatory diseases. To ensure a long and healthy life it’s important to prevent these conditions from developing by paying attention to the following diabetes guide to healthy living.

Exercise on a regular basis - Various activities such as walking, swimming, dancing or cycling, will help keep your weight at an ideal level and assist in keeping blood sugar levels under control. Please check with your physician before engaging in any strenuous activity such as jogging or aerobics.

Stay away from smoking and alcohol - Smoking should be completely avoided since it greatly increases the risk of many health problems, including damage to the blood vessels. With high blood sugar you often run the risk of circulation problems and smoking greatly increases the risk.

Drink alcohol in moderation - It is inadvisable to drink on an empty stomach since this can cause hypoglycemia. Excessive alcohol also contributes to high blood pressure. Please be sure to check your blood sugar levels on a regular basis before and after you drink alcohol to see how it affects you.

Maintain a healthy diet - A healthy diet is essential to not only combating this disease but living a long and healthy life. This should include regular meals that are low in fat and high in fiber, such as fruit, vegetables and pulses (beans, lentils and peas). It’s important to cut down on sugar, especially refined sugars, and to have reduced-sugar foods and drinks. Have chocolate, cakes and sugary drinks as a treat only on special occasions and even then you should watch the amount that you eat. It is also important to reduce the amount of salt in your diet since this contributes to high blood pressure that in turn may cause heart disease and strokes.

Check blood pressure - Blood pressure levels should be checked regularly to ensure they’re at a safe level. General recommendations are twice per day, after lunch and dinner. However, your physician may wish that you test more often. Please follow the guidelines set out by your doctor. Current guidelines suggest that someone with diabetes should have a blood pressure level below 130/80.

Watch cholesterol levels - A high cholesterol level damages the blood vessels and is another risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases. It’s important that the cholesterol level for someone with diabetes is not too high; ideally it should be below 4.0.

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